Article

Leading Your Family

by Family First Staff

Parents -- as the commanders-in-chief of your family -- you must stay focused on homelife as the centerpiece of your life. Family as a priority should be reflected in the allocation of your time and energy.

Give your Children your Time:

Now, more than ever, children need a strong bond with their parents. Time spent together is what builds that kind of bond. Log your activities for a week. How much time are you really spending with your kids?

Plan a Strategy:

Meet regularly to discuss the needs of your children. Develop a response plan to deal with your children’s emotional fallout in the aftermath of the attacks and the anticipation of war. You can also use this time to address your own fears and doubts so that you can present a unified, calming front to your children. A parent’s attitude and actions will greatly affect the morale of their troops.

Hold “news conferences”:

Set aside a regular time to address your children’s questions. If those concerns are not addressed, children will often use their imaginations to compensate for the information they lack. So answer their questions honestly. Give them the facts. Communicate with compassion. Reassure them through the practice of your faith. Pray with them and let them know that an all-powerful God, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, cares for them.